SBI MLS Player of the Week: Eddie Johnson

The Seattle Sounders flexed their attacking muscle on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Galaxy, and one night where several players impressed, Eddie Johnson stood out the most.

The Sounders striker scored the opening goal of the night and provided a threat throughout the match during Seattle's 4-0 thrashing of the Galaxy, a performance that earned him SBI MLS Player of the Week honors.

I have a feeling he will get called in for the Mexico game. He is actually a more all around and better striker than he was with KC.

Best of luck to him. I still think he has all the skills to really help the USMNT. He may never be a starter for teh USMNT, but I could see him as a second half super sub using his speed against physically drained defenders.

It was a good game from Eddie. He continues to improve his form. Player of the week, sure, in the sense that he demonstrated in this game that he is of the best in MLS, perhaps silencing the remaining doubters.

Eddie was never in League 1… Preston was in the championship when he was loaned out there and he got plenty of games (over 15 apps from January to end of the season in May)… including 10 starts in a row where Preston earned more points than in any other equal period that season… he was deployed out position on the wing too but still did a job…

Everyone keeps talking about players who might get call ups for the Mexico friendly.

JK made it pretty clear that the players called in for WCQ were the core… why would that change?

The only player who may make the roster that was excluded is Timmy Chandler, and that’s because he was wanted there in the first place and recent reports have it that he may have finished his soul searching.

Why would we leave Boyd & Jozy at their clubs when they need as much experience in the Azteca as possible?

It’s amazing how people can flop out of Europe and then immediately become the best in the MLS. Heck Cooper did it twice, now Eddie Johnson. Hmmm…..nobody has flopped out of MLS to become the best in another league…maybe Gomez. Man, I love Gomez.

(SBI-Yura Movsisyan wasn’t exactly an MLS flop but he’s done much better in Europe, and if you want to argue Clint Dempsey you could point to his scoring rate in MLS and then in England, though that has more to do with him simply maturing. Gomez is probably the best example of someone flourishing as a forward AFTER leaving MLS as a “flop” though he had success there too.)

I’m with you. He’s done on the international level. Any educated fan is frustrated as hell to watch him play. One or two goals squeak by at MLS level, but his frustrating inability to break the game down and make the right decisions won’t hack it in another league, or at the international level.

Holden has a soccer brain and plays in the midfield, connecting with everyone. Johnson stands around in an offside position for most of the game. His biggest improvement is that he occasionally tracks back to the midfield to receive the ball, but God help us when he does. The decision making that usually follows is frustrating to say the least.

you/ve got to be kidding, right? eddie had a heck of a game! he came back so many times on defense he had more headers defending set pieces than attacking. he (and fredy) constantly dropped back into the midfield to either help pressure the galaxy midfield or be a releasing point for the next sounders attack; something ive NEVER seen him do that consistently before. Alex Caskey was tied w/ him for my man of the match, there’s no way you can honestly say he had a poor match!

So….. you’re mad cause he’s being a forward? if midfielders like holden are supposed to be the Team’s brain trust and the artists, not the forwards! the forwards are the predators with a reptilian mind set only on scoring the best way how! sometimes that results in some pretty play or or a great cross (like ej vs colorado, but usually that results in a ball played through or over the top to ej or fredy waiting by the D, very nearly offsides! you act as if he’s supposed to be running around with evans, always absorbing pressure from players going the opposite way and playing the killer pass to the forwards, which, if you didnt know, is what he is! actually, you act like he WASNT consistently dropping deep, absorbing pressure w/ evans!! all you did was describe what a forward does, and then complained that a forward wasnt doing a midfielders job properly. you’re probably mad that he was running back helping defend free kicks and set pieces too.

Just love the EJ haters. They have become a permanent class of SBI readers. I am pleased to see him playing well. His game has improved exponentially since he returned from Europe and his aerial ability in the box is unmatched.
Boyd is not ready for international play. EJ gives us speed upfront we don’t have. He will score more international goals than Wondo, who is just not international quality. Does anyone remember the WCQ when EJ terrorized CONCAF then got hurt? Common folks we are not Brazil. After so many flameouts, it’s great to see EJ performing well again. And attitude? that’s something we’ve been waiting for. His lack of attitude probably was his biggest weakness in Europe. He was too timid, too easily intimidated by the big circumstances.